Hominis Proditam
by winterarrow
Summary: When Stefan takes her wings, Maleficent vows her revenge on all things human. When she wanders alone and wounded she encounters another victim of his betrayal. The only problem : this victim is human and he decides to stick around. A human who is so tempting to take, to kill, to destroy… But to betray? Never. AU; eventual Maleficent/OC
1. Chpt 1 - Betrayed

_Maleficent and all its content belongs to Disney. _The cover picture is a published piece of Concept Art and belongs to Disney._ References and other mentioned names, products, brands and all other licenses belong to their respective owners. I only own my OC's and storyline. This story is purely written for entertainment and hobby purposes. English is not my native language.  
Thank you for giving this read a chance, and I hope you'll enjoy reading this._

_Summary : When Stefan takes her wings, Maleficent vows her revenge on all things human. When she wanders alone and wounded she encounters another victim of his betrayal. The only problem : this victim is human and he decides to stick around. A human who is so tempting to take, to kill, to destroy… But to betray? Never. AU; eventual Maleficent/OC_

_A/N: Just to be clear : Maleficent is not pure evil, but she is darker than her portrayal in the movie. As much as I love Jolie's performance, the 'evil' that she initially does besides the curse is little more than some sarcastic or slightly dark comments or pranks and some theatrics._

_The story begins with Stefan's betrayal and from there on begins to become AU. _

* * *

**Hominis Proditam. **

**Chapter 1 : Betrayed.**

Long ago, on lands unspoken of in these times there were different folk roaming the lands, free and wild. They're still there and around us today, you see, but in these modern times they are very few in number and they've begun to hide their presence from us completely centuries ago.

You see, we, humans -or 'big folk' as we're often referred to- began to be with more and more and the upcoming of technology didn't go hand in hand with non-human beings. I'm sure you've already read or even seen the effects we have on ecosystems, and the animals that live there. We need more place, so we expand. But what happens to those that already dwelt there?

They disappear and begin to dwindle in their numbers. Or they move too, away from us. Although, these folks, they never had to move so much. You see, they don't live in a place we humans find very interesting. They live in The Moors.

The Moors. A forest like area that at first sights seems to be a wet, swampy place, often located in areas that have three times more grey and rainy days than sunny ones. It's no good ground to build on, it's rarely interesting or lively, it possesses no valuable resources, it's distant, it stinks…

It might just be the very last place you expect mysterious and wondrous beings. Many would rather think at some magnificent forest or mountain, some underwater-city, or perhaps an island somewhere. But that is exactly why they never had to move in all those centuries. We don't come over there with our big clumsy feet, while they hearing us marching as an elephant through the forest from miles away.

Unknowingly, we leave them alone because we cannot see the true wealth of it. And that's just the way they like it.

It was an early morning when the light began to creep to the trees surrounding the lands of the Moors. Mist covered the lands though and blocked the harsh sunlight to a more playful yellowing of the surroundings. Some faint cries of birds and other animals could be heard to greet the dawn, wrapped in its mysteriousness.

On one of the banks next to a pond, lay a girl. Not just any girl, mind you. No, this, this was a fairy. And not even any fairy. The most powerful of all fairies.

What is a fairy exactly, you might ask? Well, I suppose I need to give a short bit of explanation since they are so rare these days. Fairies are creatures born primarily of magic. Of course fairies don't just pop out of the thin air. They have parents like you and me. However, the mother is always a fairy. Since there can be no male fairies, they usually find a husband (if they take one, that is) of a species that matches them best physically and mentally for there are many kinds of fairies.

But their essence is drawn directly from the magic of the earth. From mother earth, you might say. They have a core of magic, like all magical creatures do. Some are able to use that magic, like fairies, pixies and eeries can. Others like elemental sprites, treants or nymphs can only use it concerning their element and what they are. And some can't do magic at all, but simply need it to live, like the mud-hoppers, the trolls and the wallerbogs. Without a place that offers enough of this ambient magic, none of those can thrive or live.

Fairies usually look quite human in appearance, with the most prominent difference their wings of course, and slightly distorted human complexions. They vary greatly in size, though they usually stay small and pixie-like.

Concerning their magical and physical power we can be brief. The bigger, the more power. This fairy that we're speaking of was perhaps even _the_ fairy you might say. Standing at six feet tall she was an intimidating and powerful being. The guardian of the lands, the protector of the Moors, the safekeeper of all creatures nonhuman. Her name?

Maleficent.

Maleficent was slowly rising from her slumber. She had rarely slept so deep. She wasn't really worried by the words Stefan had told her. The old king Henry wanted her dead? Not much of a surprise. He had wanted her dead for years now, ever since that battle of the Moors where his puny army was devastated by the guardians and herself and she humiliated and wounded him. Now that he was on his deathbed, it was logical that he would command some extra forces. But soon he would indeed pass away and the follow-up would most likely have other problems than chasing her down relentlessly. Besides, they had never managed to enter the Moors, nor could they stand against her.

She was waking up now and moved her shoulders a bit more comfortably while laying on her side, wondering if Stefan was still asleep. He used to be. She was always the early riser when they were young, while he liked to sleep in. But that small movement brought forward another feeling than comfort that she did not anticipate.

Pain.

Agonizing, excruciating pain.

Her back felt like it was on fire, as if the two spots beneath her shoulder blades had been impaled with burning iron spears. She couldn't hold back some cries of pain. But she wasn't one fire. She felt cold. She tried to get up but the sheer amount of pain made it extremely difficult. What hurt so much? What was going on? Was there something harmed on her wi-

She stiffened and shock overtook pain for a moment. Her wings. She lacked a certain familiar weight on her back. She couldn't feel them. No. Nonono! That couldn't be true! Had she broken something so she could no longer move them?

With great effort she managed to slowly turn her body a bit so she could see to them… and her blood froze with what she saw.

Her wings weren't harmed or broken.

Her wings were _gone. _

Brutally cut off. She couldn't comprehend the situation for some moments. How could her wings be gone? How could they? They were as much a part of her as her arms, legs or her head. Perhaps even more than those, save her head.

She desperately tried to feel on her back, tried to move the muscles that commanded them ignoring her frantic and ragged breath. But reality had no mercy for her, and she knew it.

Her gasps had long turned into cries but now they turned into screams. Bloodcurdling screams she let out, not capable of dealing with the devastation, the pain, the grief, the rage.

A bit away, a haggard looking man with a cart felt a chill run up his spine when he heard the screams that froze his blood, as he made his way to get back to the castle with haste.

What was she without her wings? How could she possibly still be? She was a fairy. All fairies had wings. Except for her now. Her beautiful, powerful and trusty wings were reduced to nothing more than two bleeding stomps on her back. She was a freak, a failure, a monstrosity. What would the others think, especially since their protecto-

The Moors. Her duty. The lands and all the folks that she swore to protect… how would she do that now, that she was no longer capable of flying? The humans could take over and they would destroy all.

And all this, all this pain because of Stefan. Stefan. The name brought forth a wave of other pain originated by the betrayal. Why? Why, oh why had he committed such a heinous crime against her? What had she even done to him? They were friends, they loved each other. She had not seen him in years, but he had still come to warn her of the Kings increasing hate towards her, had he not? So why?

What had made him turn in the night? Why was he yesterday still her old friend and… Oh. Except he wasn't. He had not been her friend yesterday. He had acted the part. He had played on her heart and grovelled a bit, he had said what she had wanted to hear. It had been his plan all along. The wine must have drugged her, she realised. Otherwise she would have woken up the instant that he touched her wings. He had the tools ready.

Yes, it had been his plan all along. This was no longer the boy that selflessly threw away one of his only possessions, his ring, for a newfound friend. This was a human, who above all else, craved for power.

A part of her dearly wished he had just killed her in one swift stroke. At least she would have been spared the pain, the humiliation, the horror of a life without her wings.

'No', she immediately thought. 'No.'

'I'm not just going to roll over and die. I will continue to protect the Moors. I must. And it will not end here. She would find him. It could take some time, but she would find him. And she would enact justice. He thought he could just take her friendship, her love, her heart, her wings and trample upon it? No. I will never forgive him for this betrayal.'

She tried to get up, only to fall back down again several times. The searing heat on her back was like white hot fire, but she clenched her jaw, grinded her teeth and pulled herself up. In an attempt to stay upright she grabbed a small branch on her right, but to her surprise her magic ran through it the moment she held it and it grew and twisted itself into a staff on which she could lean.

Slowly, she took a step and if it wasn't for her new-found staff she would have fallen already. Deep breath. And another step forward. The third one went a bit easier as she limped forth. Her balance was lost due to the big shift in weight and she had to search how to get on again.

She had never felt so weak in her life and she despised the feeling. She loathed with all her core this feeling of helplessness, this… vulnerability. She was a strong and proud being. She should not be like this. It was beneath her. She was the ruler of the skies, the guardian of the Moors, the warden that defied an army by her mere presence.

But soon she once more found her step and dragged herself on beyond the borders of the Moors. She would have to see what the humans were up to in case the treants, the forest warriors needed to focus more on this part of the border. She would have to find Stefan, before he could get away with her wings. She needed them back. And she would find out why, why he had defiled her like this.

And then she would make him wish he had never done it.

* * *

_Alright, first chapter was a bit of an introduction, next chapter in the making where Diaval and the OC will step in._

_AN: What Hominis Proditam means isn't that hard to find out.__*Hint* It's latin. *Hint*_


	2. Chpt 2 - Out of the Frying Pan and into

_Maleficent and all its content belongs to Disney. References and other mentioned names, products, brands and all other licenses belong to their respective owners. I only own my OC's and storyline. This story is purely written for entertainment and hobby purposes. English is not my native language.  
Thank you for giving this read a chance, and I hope you'll enjoy reading this. _

_Summary : When Stefan takes her wings, Maleficent vows her revenge on all things human. When she wanders alone and wounded she encounters another victim of his betrayal. The only problem : this victim is human and he decides to stick around. A human who is so tempting to take, to kill, to destroy… But to betray? Never. AU; eventual Maleficent/OC_

* * *

**Hominis Proditam. **

_But soon she once more found her step and dragged herself on beyond the borders of the Moors. She would have to see what the humans were up to in case the treants, the forest warriors needed to focus more on this part of the border. She would have to find Stefan, before he could get away with her wings. She needed them back. And she would find out why, why he had defiled her like this._

_And then she would make him wish he had never done it._

**Chapter 2 : An Unexpected Encounter.**

* * *

Maleficent was wandering around in the fields. She knew it was dangerous and foolish of her to leave the Moors in her current predicament. She was still wounded and the wounds inflicted by Stefan had not yet healed. How could they? How could her powerful wings heal after being reduced to two bloody stomps? Her pain was still taking a toll on her.

Her magic was returning, now, steadily but slowly. But not yet enough to completely heal herself. She couldn't afford to tire out of magic here, in the human lands, out of her home. The ground here did not possess as much magic either, which slowed down her healing process and return of magic. What magic reserves she had, she had to spare if she came in contact with humans.

Humans. She didn't need to speak it out loud to feel, no _taste_ the rancid foulness the blasted word possessed on her tongue. She should have known better, the fool that she was to trust one. The humans had waged war on the Moors so many times now through the course of history, she should have seen it coming. She knew that Stefan had changed but against better judgement, she allowed some good memories to cloud her mind.

She knew the single absolute truth, that would never change and had once again, proven true. That humans, above all else that the world had to offer them, desired and craved for _power._

But she was wasting time. She needed to find Stefan. If she could stop him, she could perhaps have her wings back too, though she was beginning to lose hope for that. But she had to confront him nonetheless. She would need to hear his reasons, what could possibly have driven to this ruthless and heinous act?

While wandering on a small dirt road she soon spotted something curious. A dog, barking like mad towards the ground. What was driving him to- ah. On the ground was a net and beneath that net was a black bird. The dog's owner had set a trap for some smaller innocent creature – human nature was truly disgusting.

She heard a voice beginning to call out. Oh dear, the farmer was making his way over, croaking and puffing and heaving every two steps.

"Go'on, get'm boy! Rip an shred tha blasted bird, don't let 'im flee agan, ye hear me!

'Truly, a magnificent display of compassion and empathy. Mankind's 'great culture' seemed to produce… not much, if this was the standard, really.' She mused.  
She idly wondered whether he would manage to succeed in actually defeating the bird. He didn't seem to possess any real skill beyond getting lucky with a net, probably not even placed or made by himself.

The bird on the other hand could very well pick out his eyeballs or his jugular perhaps. She'd place her bet on the bird. It was clearly the more intelligent animal of the two.

She focused on the black mess of feather on the ground once more that seemed to panic now, desperate to make his way out but he was simply not strong enough for the heavy net. A raven, she guessed. Oh look, the pathetic farmer was picking up a club now to squash his winged adversary. A crude weapon for a cruder idiot. How fitting.

She felt a twinge of pity for the raven. It did not deserve such a fate, to be bashed by a brute like that. Then she decided that it was more than a pitiful situation. It was an opportunity. If she could convince that raven to search for her… that would make things easier. Then she could return to the Moors to heal and recover, and she could still hear new of what happened in the human kingdom…

She called her magic to her and felt its familiar heat run its course through her veins, filling her body with a pleasant warmth before she gave shape to her magic. She felt it intensify in her hands and shot it to the raven, _willing_ his shape to change.

The effect was immediate. The raven grew, wings became arms with hands and finger, his legs grew feathers became black hair and clothing, and his beak shrank. And a few seconds later a man crawled out underneath the net and threw it off.

The farmer gave an high-pitched squeak and screamed like a little girl. "D'mon! D'mon! Tha's a bl'sted d'mon, tha is! Attack, Bobby, bite!" And with that he ran off to barricade himself in his barn. His dog didn't heed the command his master's command and ran off with his tail between his legs now that the tasty bird had changed into creature like master. Birdmen were too weird for his tastes.

The remaining man turned around several times clumsily to take in the entirely different perspective. He craned his neck to inspect his back only to find out he couldn't. He simply stared at his hands and limbs and felt on his new face. His messy black hair consisted both of messy, spiky hair and feathers that betrayed his actual origins. It was only after several shocking and sudden movements of him that he noticed the still figure nearby.

"Who? What? What have you done with my beautiful self? Why have you done this?" he sputtered indignantly.

"I changed you into a man." She stated, pointing out the obvious.

"Why? Why would you turn me into such an ugly twolegger? I'd much rather have my beautiful black feathers, my strong wings and my gizzard! Now I'm just big and… and clumsy and slow! How am I supposed to collect glittering shiny things now for my collection?"

"Oh be quiet, my magic saved your life."

"My life perhaps, but what of my beautiful self?"

"Would you rather have been a bloody paste on that brute's club? He would have fed you the dog."

"Ew, no, no, no. NO dogs! The hairy, stinky, ugly mutts! Stupid mongrels, the lot of them! With their stinky breath, their slimy tongues, always heaving and sniffing around! They even ignore beautiful shinies! They'd rather sniff and eat their own po-"

"Oh shut it already, will you?"

"…"

"Better."

"…You want something of me, don't you?" he asked shrewdly.

"Correct."

"I will not give my shiny trinkets! I worked way too hard to collect them!"

"Oh please, I do not care for your trash."

That shut him up. Now that his treasure was apparently not in danger he was getting curious.

"Then what do you wish?"

"I wish for you to be my eyes and ears. You will be my wings."

Now there was something more hidden in that sentence. What did that lady mean by 'her wings'? Almost as if she should have them. Preposterous of course, no twolegger should have wings. They wrecked already far too much havoc with just two legs. They really didn't need two wings either. But he bit his tongue and held his comment for himself this time. His instincts told him it would be very unwise and dangerous to do otherwise.

Maleficent observed how the bird-turned-man really wanted to ask about it, but stayed his comments to himself. She was right, he was clearly the more intelligent animal.

"Very well, I suppose I owe you my life, even if it changed me into this stupid twolegger. So hereby, I pledge myself to be your servant, until you send me away."

"Good. What is your name?"

"Name? I know that some of the other birds call me 'Young Croak', while the humans seem to tend more towards 'That Blasted Black Thief'. But why should I be anything than Raven?

"I cannot call you 'Raven'. It is what you are, not your name."

"Well, than what shall be my name?"

"I shall call you… Diaval." She said after a moment of thinking.

"… But I don't like it."

"Tough luck."

"Very well" he sighed. "So what is it you wish me to do."

"Find a human called Stefan. When you find out where he is, and in what condition come back and tell me. My magic will help you identify him. I will be back at the Moors."

With that, he changed him back to a raven. The newly named Diaval looked around for a few seconds before giving a thankful caw. He liked being himself in his trusty feathered form much more, thank you very much. And with that, he took off to the skies, onwards to the nearest villages to search for the man.

Maleficent watched him fly off for a while and had to suppress a bit of jealousy. Oh, how she wished she could still fly… But dwelling on such idly thought would do her no good out here. It was clear she would not be able to fly for a long while, if ever. Better she got used to the idea soon enough, lest it would disrupt her focus on other matters.

* * *

She decided that it was best to get back to the Moors, and as fast as possible. Changing Diaval back and forth had taken a bit out of her. With the loss of her wings, her magic had taken a shock too, because her very core had practically changed by her emotional distress. It would still be some time before she had the same magic reserves as she used to. Healing a tree wouldn't be a problem, such things were easy. Transforming living creatures into entirely different forms was a much more complex matter though.

She had reason to hurry though she didn't know it yet. But soon the howls of dogs were heard and shouts followed them soon. She was being chased. And they had spotted her. It was an open field here, there was nowhere to hide.

She cursed violently and tried to run. She didn't need to turn around to see the standard pitchforks. But the wounds on her back were still fresh and hadn't really closed yet, so the sudden movement tore them back open.

It caused a new wave of pain that couldn't be numbed easily, but she bit through and clenched her teeth. She would not get captured by some humans who brandished her as some demonic spawn to be burned at the stake. She heaved herself up and tried to go as fast as she could, using her staff for support frequently. But she couldn't go fast enough and she knew it. The dogs had her trail and would soon be upon her and the humans would be soon after.

Then her hope resurfaced. There! The thick woods that she knew so well were only a few fields further, the outline of the Moors! If she could reach that… yes, the ambient magic would keep the dogs' instincts away and she could call for the forest guardians. Just a bit further now…

If only she had watched her footing better than the woods that were supposed to be her safe haven.

**Snap!**

Maleficent screamed as her leg burned. It had to be, her leg had to be burning by two hellish jaws. Nothing else could cause such pain. On the ground she managed to turn and look what was causing her agony.

An iron hunting trap. Two crude jaws had snapped themselves closed on her right leg and the huge cast teeth buried themselves in her flesh. The natural allergy against iron of her kind made the iron searing with heat. The cruel jaws were red from the intense heat and they burned, they burned so much. Why wasn't she on fire? Such burning had to be nothing less than that.

Was this what Stefan once described as purgatory? The hellish flames that would burn all heathens and foul creatures that didn't fit for them for all eternity? It certainly felt like it. Stefan had been a god-fearing man and told her once that according to the church, she would be a demon and hunted down. She had idly laughed it off, back then, convinced such a crazy thing could never happen. Now, it suddenly wasn't so unimaginable anymore.

She couldn't run anymore. Damn it all! Curse her blasted fate! The Moors were so close, yet they never seemed further away. She didn't have the strength to remove the jaws from her leg and even if she could do that, her leg would be far too wounded to even consider running on. She could only helplessly await her fate.

No. Not helplessly. She wasn't going to go down that easily, as some little child that had no means to defend herself. She still had some of her magic. And she was going to use it. If this was her end, she would make sure that she would take them with her, if nothing else. She was trapped in the corner, but he still had some of her claws.

The men had arrived. She counted twenty. A few were soldiers, but most didn't seem to possess a real uniforms. Thugs, criminals and opportunistic hunters, all eager to slay a demon and get their hands on a share that the king would no doubt grant them for her head. No innocent folk. Just mindless brutes, with gold and greed on their mind, not minding the life they would need to take for it.

She tensed and called her magic forth as much as possible and it manifested once more in her hands. The normally golden colour of her spells had a more greenish shine to it, making it look like haunted gold. The ten closest to her were unfortunate. They were lifted up and knocked against each other, helplessly flailing their limbs in the air. Maleficent groaned, she couldn't levitate them for too long. So she gathered more power behind it and in a burst flung them back down, with much more sheer power than they would have had by just falling. Their bones snapped under the impact with a sick sound.

The remaining ten were more cautious. They had the Fairy, but realised that she wasn't down just yet. Still, she could not escape them and they knew it. They could bide their time and wait for the moment to strike, while she would only grow weaker.

Maleficent knew that. She knew that the longer the fight would drag on, the greater her disadvantage would be. So she shot out another burst of magic, catching a small group of three that had huddled together by surprise. Their armour offered protection against iron and wood and steel. But against magic, it was of little use. The spell caused a grievous wound that they would not survive to their organs.

She felt dizzy, nauseous and exhausted. Her magic reserve was nearly empty, and without her magic, she would most likely lose her conscience too and then she was a bird for the cat. Or a fairy for the sword.

A unfortunate mercenary found himself too close to a cut-down tree and paid the price when its roots dragged him down. She still managed to change the mud of a shallow pool on of the heavier soldiers stood in and he sank quickly, thrashing around to free him and only making his position worse.

But that was the utter last of her magic. The pain was still burning its course through her but she was too exhausted to thrash and writhe around. She tried to reach for her energy, scraped at her reserves once more in her desperation but found nothing. The last three seemed to realise it too as they closed in on her.

A sword was slowly raised in the air.

She closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable. She idly wondered if she would see her parents again…

The horrible sound of a pointy metal end that tore through soft flesh resounded on the fields, a wet gurgle that gasped for breath for a few seconds, made itself heard.

A thud resounded when the victim finally gave in.

Maleficent groaned and looked sideways to see the soldier lying on the ground with an arrow protruding from his throat, blood slipping out of his mouth.

A second man fell with a shriek of pain. The last one decided to better be a living coward than a dead hero and took off as fast as his legs could carry him.

She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She knew something had happened that shouldn't have occurred, but her mind was too overtaken by her inner turmoil to process exactly what. She noticed things darken though, and a shadow was cast over her face. She could make out a silhouette stalking over her. 'Friend or foe' she wanted to ask, but had no strength for that anymore.

The last thing she heard was "You're safe now." But she didn't recognise the voice or its owner. Was it Stefan, she wondered?

Blackness overtook her however and she fell down in the deep slumber of unconsciousness.

* * *

_Second chapter done! Man, I'm going to need a new dictionary for Maleficent's sass and long range insults, especially in the coming times. _

_And I feel filthy for that cliffhanger at the end. I seem to make it a habit of ending the second chapter of my stories with such a teaser.  
The chapter was planned to be longer and not end on this note, but then it would take too long before i posted something again. OC material next chapter! _

_Thank you once again for reading, and please leave a review! I appreciate them greatly, each and every one of 'em. _


	3. Chpt 3 - A Golden Crown for a Dark Thron

_Maleficent and all its content belongs to Disney. References and other mentioned names, products, brands and all other licenses belong to their respective owners. I only own my OC's and storyline. This story is purely written for entertainment and hobby purposes. English is not my native language.  
Thank you for giving this read a chance, and I hope you'll enjoy reading this. _

_Summary : When Stefan takes her wings, Maleficent vows her revenge on all things human. When she wanders alone and wounded she encounters another victim of his betrayal. The only problem : this victim is human and he decides to stick around. A human who is so tempting to take, to kill, to destroy… But to betray? Never. AU; eventual Maleficent/OC_

_Guest, Lee, Elizabeth : All nice ideas, I'll see if they fit in. However, it's still a while away before a relationship develops. Mal's gotta go dark first. And it's still nine months before little Aurora is born.  
_

* * *

**Hominis Proditam.**

_Maleficent couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She knew something had happened that shouldn't have occurred, but her mind was too overtaken by her inner turmoil to process exactly what. She noticed things darken though, and a shadow was cast over her face. She could make out a silhouette stalking over her. 'Friend or foe' she wanted to ask, but had no strength for that anymore._

_The last thing she heard was "You're safe now." But she didn't recognise the voice or its owner. Was it Stefan, she wondered?_

_Blackness overtook her however and she fell down in the deep slumber of unconsciousness._

**Chapter 3 : A Golden Crown for a Dark Throne.**

* * *

"Come forward, child of god." The priest said.

A man with neatly brushed mouse brown hair responded to the call and slowly made his way over in dignified strides. The throne room was bursting with people, especially the social and economic elite. All were watching their host take up a new position that would affect the kingdom. How it would affect that remained to be seen of course. But he had been personally chosen by his predecessor, which gave him some leniency.

The man's strides halted before the old priest, who was dresses in robes of white and purple, with golden accessories. The old man made a gesture with his hand, to which the younger man knelt down on one knee, to show his submission to the holy lord.

Never in his life had he dared to actually expect he would get here. Oh, he had dreamed of course, much like everyone. But unlike many of those dreamers, he didn't rest on them. He was driven, determined, ambitious. And he had come from the very bottom.

His parents had been farmers. While holding a steady life, still low on the social caste. But then they were taken away. A horrible accident. No one knew what was happening, but a few minutes later everything was on fire. And when the dawn broke, the little boy with the mouse brown hair looked over smouldering remains of what used to be his home, and knew, that he was alone.

But he hadn't allowed himself to live a pitiful and miserable orphan existence. He swore he would one day work directly for the king in a position that would demand respect. He had not received that position by heritage, or wealth or connections. No, he had become the personal assistant of the late King Henry only because he had worked his life to fulfil that goal.

He smiled. He hoped he had made his parents proud, showing that their son's ambitiousness had indeed delivered results. He _knew_ he had made them proud.

It was only the last steps that he had done to now receive this title that didn't sit well with him. He had done some things that were pretty bad. But wasn't it about the greater good? A small evil to prevent a greater one?

"Will you do everything in your power to keep this kingdom, its lands and its people from harm?"

That was one of the reasons he had done what he did. If any of those other power-hungry jackals had taken the throne they would soon be in a war with the Moors. And while they might win, it would not be without heavy losses. By doing what he did, the people in the kingdom would be safer, and he knew what it was like to be poor and down at the bottom. He would make this a better kingdom. For everyone in it.

"I will." He said resolute.

"Will you always uphold the greater good above your own needs?"

The greater good. That was what he had fought for. He knew he had taken something very dear of his old friend, but now she would stay certainly on the Moors and she would be safer. Doing what he did handicapped her but saved her life, he told himself. Otherwise she would have been hunted down ruthlessly. He took the reward for the hunt so no one would do it no, would they? And there was no one else to abuse this power. And she couldn't start a war either and now that people believed her dead or defeated no one was interested in war anyway. Especially with the passing of King Henry. He would be known as the king who brought Peace and prosperity.

"I will." He answered once again, determined.

"Will you always stay true to your faith in the one god?"

He had never lost his faith. He had always prayed. He had always believed. And god himself had smiled upon him. How could fate otherwise have been twisted that a poor farmer's boy, an orphan of all things became king? It had to have been him. It had to have been the lord. Well, his faith would not waver. Never.

"I will."

"Then I, Mathew, will place this crown upon you. With the holy lord and father and the holy spirit in heaven's kingdom as witnesses, you are hereby crowned _king_. May your rule be fair and your time be blessed."

He released a breath he didn't know he was holding when the heavy weight of the golden crown rested upon his head. He could almost feel the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders. He would shoulder it. He would be strong.

He rose and turned around slowly and looked over the big assembled crowd.

"Hail King Stefan!" A preacher said.

"Hail King Stefan!" the crowd chorused in response.

The newly crowned king rose his hand and the crowd went silent.

"This is both a glad and a sad day. A sad day, because it is a reminder of the late king Henry that we have lost. But is a glad day also! This day will lead in a time of peace and prosperity. We will look to improve our kingdom in every way possible for the very heart of our kingdom : the people! I will shoulder this heavy responsibility to the best of my ability for all of you, and that is a promise. But this is also a feast, and my speech is already too long. Bring forth the wine and food, and let song and music be heard across the halls!" he declared.

This was greeted with laughter and cheer. The crowd decided it liked their new king.

No one saw the raven that flew off from the window, who had seen and heard it all.

* * *

_Two tall figures stood next to each other before the edge of a great forest. One clad in elegant black and the other one in more muted green. They just stood there for a while, unmoving. Then they shared a single understanding look into each other's eyes. No words were spoken, apparently unneeded for them. Then they slid one hand into the one of their companion and walked off together, into the great forest._

Birds were chirping, loudly. A calm breeze was bristling the leaves of the trees and she could feel sunlight on her face. So she was at the Moors, as it should be. Maleficent decided to keep her eyes closed for just a little longer, to enjoy her half-slumber after that dream. A strange dream though. She didn't recognise the figures. It probably meant nothing. After all it was only that. A dream.

She almost wished that the loss of her wings was just a terrible nightmare, but she knew that it was the harsh reality. The lack of weight on her back proved that, not to mention the pain… wait, pain? Where was the pain? Where was the hot stabbing pain on her back? She could feel it faintly, but it was manageable. Nothing like the day before. Had she healed so much in her sleep?

Now that she thought of it, she actually hurt more on her lower right leg. As if it had been between two iron jaws. Because it had been, suddenly realised. She remembered what happened yesterday. The hunt that she could not escape, the iron claws snapping themselves around her leg, the teeth being buried deep in her flesh… Yes, her leg still hurt, but it was nothing, absolutely nothing compared to the torture back then.

But, she didn't escape from them. That stupid farmer that ran away probably set them on her. She had used every bit of her magic to deal with those attackers and had gotten fifteen of them, but there were still three left. The arrow. Someone else had attacked them, killed two of those men and made the third scurry away. Yes, that was it, the figure had bent over her and said "you're safe now".

But that brought forth a big problem. If she wasn't at that place anymore, than where was she? Where had she been taken and why, and by whom? She couldn't be at the Moors.

And with that realisation, Maleficent's eyes snapped open.

She looked around, blinking a few times, her eyes taking in her surroundings. She was in a light forest, but it was not the Moors, of that she was certain. After some hesitations she slowly brought herself more upright from her sleeping position. It seems she was in some kind of open hut that was partly built around a great tree, using the tree itself.

It wasn't very filled like the home of farmers she had seen earlier. Just some basic gear. If it wasn't for the other sleeping roll she would believe she was alone here.

A sound from her left.

She turned around to see a wolf. He seemed to have no indication to attack though. Rather, he had been lying there the entire time, just looking at her. Now that she looked closer to him, he simply didn't seem wild enough to be an actual wolf. A tad more slender and smaller. Perhaps a tamed one? Or was it just a young animal?

The wolf's ears suddenly perked up, his head cocked to the side and he jumped up and past her. He jumped around a bit and barked enthusiastically to the tree.

It obviously was a very stupid animal, to bark at a tree.

A soft thud resounded of boots landing on the forest floor, followed by a few quick steps.

Or perhaps it wasn't.

She righted herself up quickly. Standing up told her that her body was still very stiff. And she wasn't yet used to the balance without her wings, but it was manageable. If only her damn leg wouldn't hurt so much… getting away quickly was no option, evidently, so she backed up in an overseeing position and gathered her magic ready. Whoever it was, she would not simply let him have his way.

The footsteps drew closer and a few seconds later a figure of a man appeared. He entered the hut too, the wolf close on his side. When he saw her backed up, her magic ready he halted though and kept his distance to the other side.

She took him in. He seemed young, barely a man. His slender, almost skinny body didn't help. Blond hair and delicate features, green eyes and a slight smile. He was clad in tints of green and brown, apparently to blend in with the forest more. She could also see him carry his bow with ease. If what she remembered was correct, than he knew how to use the thing well enough.

He looked as if he could play the part for some young prince charming with his blond hair, nice face weapons and elegant pose. Then he turned his face a bit and she saw the 'prince charming' act wouldn't work. On his cheek, he had a few very distinctive and ugly scars. One obviously came from a knife or cutting wound that left a straight red line tracing his cheekbone from just next to his eye towards his upper lip. That one wasn't healed too bad, but on the same cheek, there was a nasty burn. Life apparently hadn't agreed with his nice soft face.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to harm you." He said slowly and what he hoped was a reassuring tone.

"I am not afraid." She answered coldly.

At this he raised an eyebrow. "Evidently" He drawled. "You backed yourself up in a corner with your magic ready to blast anyone away for your everyday amusement, then."

Maleficent made no response beyond a cold glare.

He took off his bow and arrow quiver to lay them on the ground, and laid down a knife he pulled from his boot with them. Then, he took a few steps to the side.

"Look, I put down my weapons, I am too far away to suddenly try something stupid. And if I truly wanted to harm you without decent reason I would have done it long ago by now. Scrap that, if I wanted you harmed I would not have saved you, and certainly not healed you. " He said patiently. "Now, it is best if you cease holding your magic like that. It will tire you to quickly and you are not yet fully healed considering you just woke up."

Inwardly, she cursed. He was right. She already felt the strain on her magic. Healing had taken quite a bit out of her apparently. So for logic's sake, she stopped the call on her magic and lowered her hand. Tiring herself out like this would not help her either.

When she lowered her threatening stance he smiled and sat down. The wolf did so too, and he idly scratched the beast behind his ears.

"Sit, please." He gestured to what looked like a shapeless pillow. To give her leg some rest, she complied.

"Why?" her voice questioned him.

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked with a bit of confusion.

"Why did you assist me?" she asked again, a bit harsher now.

"Why would I not have?" he seemed actually confused.

"Why did you kill your fellow humans? Those soldiers?"

His face darkened a bit. "I knew who those 'soldiers' were. They were vile men and have committed many crimes. If I had encountered them on my own in few number, I might have done something to them all the same. They certainly would have given me reason to in any case."

"Ah. So you waited for the easiest opportunity for the greatest reward, then? See the evil witch killed, stab the actual men who succeeded in the back and claim the reward for yourself?"

"You're not very bright, are you?" he asked with a bit of mirth in his voice.

She hissed in return for the insult at her intelligence.

"If I wanted the reward for your head, why would I interfere _before_ they did the deed? Let alone carry you all the way here, and heal your wounds and patiently wait for your awakening?" he asked a bit annoyed.

"Then why? Why did you do it? Why did you disobey your dear fat king Henry?" she spat.

"He is not my king." he said back with a slight trace of anger. Curious.

"You are a human. Therefore, you are one of his subjects, are you not?"

"Only if I would hail from this kingdom, which I do not. Since I'm not part of this kingdom in any way more than being human, I am no subject of his in any way." He corrected her smugly.

"Pray tell, where are you from then?"

"I come from the forest of Silva, or Silvaetus as the actual name is. Together with Vallis, a dale bordering the forest we are a smaller realm to the north."

The Silvaetus Woods? Those were old indeed. And there was still lingering magic and magical creatures there. Nowhere the concentration as in the Moors, but more than anywhere else in the nearby lands.

"Where am I now then, seeing as you saw it fit to carry me here?"

"You're currently beneath a tree. Given the fact that there are more trees nearby, it's probably safe to assume you're in a forest as well." He replied, as if it was a very serious answer.

"If you're going to stay this infuriating, I'm going to blast your little blonde head off." She snapped.

"Fine, fine. You're currently at the north-eastern border of the human kingdom. This is a path with very few people, so I thought it safer."

She thought this over. It wasn't overly bad. The Moors weren't terrible far away, and the route to there would be relatively desolate. The only problem was that the route wasn't an easy one either, or she would have to make a big way around and closer to the castle. Inconvenient, but it could be worse.

"Are you the one they call Maleficent?" he suddenly asked.

"I am." She answered carefully. Now was the time to gauge his intentions. And to respond with her magic if necessary.

"Well, that explains a lot…" he murmured.

"What do you mean? And how is it you know who I am?" she interrogated him.

"It makes sense now why they were all hunting you. Old King Henry's reward was quite a sum, or so I've heard. And I recognise magical creatures when I see them, I'm not an idiot."

"No idiot? And here I was thinking the opposite…" she mused out loud.

"I don't exactly know what you are, although my best bet would be relation to the Fae kind. It would explain your magical ability and your wounds." He continued, ignoring her jab.

"What do you mean, my wounds? Leg-wounds aren't exactly a good indicator to determine a species in case you didn't know."

"I know that. But I wasn't talking about your leg, even though that was a pretty bad one. Almost like it had been poisoned, except there was no poison to be found. It seemed more like a very severe rash or burn to me, though your passive magic has already taken care of it, mostly. I was talking about the wounds on your back. It's almost like limbs located between your shoulder blades have been cut off. The only logical explanation is that you lost you wings in a manner of attack, recently. And the kinds of magical creatures who are relatively human in appearance, have wings and wield magic are limited… So, are you a faery?"

She was taken aback a bit. The casual way he talked about the loss of her dear wings made her filled with anger and grief. And he wasn't as stupid as she'd expected him to be. He wasn't fully correct, but as close as he could have gotten on his own. Impressive, almost. A human who could actually use his intelligence. How refreshing. How dangerous.

"Yes, I am." She confirmed. He seemed to be satisfied with the answer and left it at that.

"I told you my name, 'tis only fair if you tell me yours."

A slight hesitation. "Evan. Call me Evan."

"You hesitated. Why?"

"You're the first person outside my own kingdom that has asked after my name. you may not know it, but this kingdom, or more specifically King Henry, wasn't on good terms with my homeland. So I don't want to attract unnecessary attention."

"Why is the old man a threat to your land?" she asked, curious now. She thought he merely hated all magicals. Of course, the Silvaetus lands held old magic, but that was in a passive sense. Why would he attack other human lands?

"Because the man wasn't satisfied with the kingdom that he had. He couldn't even rule that properly, but still only focused on wanting more. He hasn't outright attacked us, he wouldn't have been able to get away with that, but he certainly tried several times to get our lands under his control. You should know of his hunger for power. Even I know that he attacked the Moors a couple of times."

"Oh yes, I remember that. I specifically remember throwing the swine from his horse, making him break several bones in the fall and spitting in his face after standing on these broken bones." She said with malice in her voice. "Do you wish to know how I decimated his little group of cavalry and slew his soldiers?" she asked with a bit of amusement.

"No, I don't." he said resolute.

She ignored him. "I wonder if he would try again once more… perhaps I could kill him this time around."

"No you can't, and no he won't."

"You doubt my abilities? He is nothing compared to me." She sneered.

"Undoubtedly. But you cannot kill those who are already dead."

"What do you mean?" she responded, confused.

"King Henry died two days ago. I suppose his successor has been announced by now, but I haven't been away from here since your… incident."

"That cannot be true. Two days ago, he was alive." If Stefan's words were anything to go by at least. That was before… no, no good could come from thinking about him now.

"Two days ago for you perhaps. But this is six days ago for the world. It is the fourth day since you fell unconscious in that wolf trap." He responded softer now.

She had been unconscious for _four_ days? That was very disturbing news.

"How severe were my wounds, then?" she asked a bit shaken.

"Quite severe, though not fatal. Your leg was the worst of it. I stopped the bleeding, stitched the largest cuts and used the most neutral of healing herbs I had. I didn't want to risk doing something wrong that you would react badly to. It seems your magic has already healed most of it though. The wounds on your back were nasty bad had already begun to heal. I simply cleaned them and numbed the nerves somewhat. You should be able to walk again now, though it would be prudent not too put too much weight on your leg for the coming days. Perhaps you should use the staff you were carrying. It is besides your bedroll."

"And what happened at the fields, when I lost consciousness?"

"Well, I was observing to see whether I should intervene or not and wanted to pull back and leave matters as they were, but I couldn't just stand by and watch him execute you. So I shot him and the other one that rushed forward. The third one fled."

"You should have shot him too."

"I will not just kill someone unless it's absolutely necessary." He said affronted. "The only reason I shot like that was because I knew that they were filthy criminals and were abusing their authority as guards!"

"You are a naïve and foolish little boy. He will already have made it known that both you and I should be hunted down now" she scoffed.

"You already were on their hunting list. And since I was hooded, I doubt they'd recognise me. Nothing changed." He retorted.

She sighed. It would come back to bite them, of that she was sure, but there was nothing to be done about that now. And he may have been foolish, in many aspects, she did owe her life to him. He had no reason to save her, but he did. She was certain that it was not out of idle kindness, no matter what he may was claiming. Humans did not know such compassion. When she saved that raven… Diaval, he instantly swore his life in her service. She would of course never do such a thing, but she did owe him a debt. Even if humans had no honour, she could not ignore this. It went against all laws of old, and only the foulest of evil being dared to break such things.

"I suppose you did save my life. For that I thank you."

At this he gave a brilliant smile as if her acknowledging of thanks meant the world to him. "You're welcome." He said happily. She withheld a scoff. Truly, he was still a child. A child capable of adult feats, but did not yet have the mind set for it.

"You do look very young. How old are you?"

"I'm not that young. I'll be seventeen next month."

"That is young." Roughly ten years younger than her. Just old enough not to be treated like child anymore, but he lacked the experience being a real adult brought. She looked him over again and her eyes fell on those ugly scars that marred his face once more.

"Those scars, how did you get them?" she asked, making a gesture to his cheek.

At this he looked away, turning the scarred cheek away from her gaze. His eyes were distant, probably remembering it. "I don't want to talk about that."

"As you wish then." An uncomfortable silence settled. A slobbering sound broke it. She saw the wolf looking up at her strangely with his tongue dangling out of his mouth, drooling on the floor.

"Who is your wolfish companion and why is he staring at me like that?" she asked a bit indignantly.

"Oh, this is Fergus, my wolfhound. Fergus, say 'hi' to the scary lady with horns." The wolfhound let out some more drool as he made a happy bark – if you could call the slobbering sound a bark.

Maleficent clenched her jaw. This man-child really got on her nerves with his lame jokes and stupid comments. If it wasn't for the debt she would already have done something to him by now. And the fact that she was indebted to him only made it worse. Humiliating really, that she had to be saved by a human who was barely full-grown. And to top it off, he was incredibly annoying.

"Now, while you continue your idle conversations with your dog, I must go back to my lands." She fitted her robes better on and donned her cloak. While doing so her hand traced the bandages on her chest.

She froze. Her volatile temper came rising up faster than George R. R. Martin would run from a razor.

That human, that filthy disgusting _human_, had touched her? He had dared to defile her like this?

"What did you do to me!" she spat out, aiming her staff at him like a spear beneath his throat.

"Wha- What do you mean?" Evan sputtered in fear. Fergus gave out a growl at her but she snarled back in pure power. The wolf was no match for that. She had power over beasts that the loyalty to a mere human could not stop.

"How did you dare to touch, to defile me like this! To grope me when I was unconscious, you filthy swine!" she hissed, showing the bandages that ran over her –quite present- chest.

"For the wounds on your back. I did not have the means to bandage them on the local spot, so that was the safest course! I swear, I didn't do anything inappropriate like that!" he said back, quickly.

She retreated her staff slowly, glaring at him as if she wished to burn him to ashes with her burning gaze. The rational part of her told her he had a point, but she wasn't in the mood for rational right now. As if the humiliation to her pride hadn't been enough…

"I'm leaving. Do not think I won't forget that insult." She declared with anger.

He frowned. "You know, most people would be somewhat happy if they find out that they're alive and well, and have been healed." He said carefully.

"I am not like most people." She retorted.

"That" he drawled, "is obvious."

"By the stones, you are so infuriating!" she roared. She put her heated glare upon him again.

"The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because, to my great disgust, I owe you a debt that I cannot simply ignore. But make no mistake, human : once the bet is gone, I _will_ kill you for this."

"Really? Oh good, then I can already start planning my grand funeral. You know, it's actually really handy to know in advance when you're going to die. Not many people have that luxury…" he trailed if in thoughts, seriously considering the benefits of the whole situation.

Maleficent stared for a moment and decided that he was a complete and utter lunatic. She had already suspected he was crazy, but this was far beyond that.

A soft whine at her side attracted her attention. The wolfhound had his head cocked to the side and look strangely at the man, giving continuous soft whines. Oh, great. Even the mangy mutt was concerned for his master's mental stability.

She didn't bother lashing out anymore and simply stormed out of the hut, back to the Moors and away from the pesky little human called Evan.

* * *

It was later on the day in the late evening that Diaval finally found his new Mistress. It was oppressive weather, a storm seemed to be brewing. He could tell in his gizzard that it would be smarter to simply fly far, far away from this place. But he couldn't go back on his word like that of course. He flew towards her and with a flick of her hand he changed back in the strange man shape. The only problem was that she had done it before he properly landed which caused him to go crashing in the dirt. He let out an offended squawk but Maleficent paid him no mind.

"Have you found Stefan? What news do you have of him?" she asked.

He hesitated to bring the news. His instinct told him something dangerous was lurking. He just didn't know what.

"Well? Out with it, Diaval, I don't have all day."

"There was a big ceremony in the castle. King Henry has passed away in three days ago now. The kingdom is mourning and…"

"Yes, yes, I already know of the old man's death. What of Stefan?" she interrogated him. Her temper was rising up again. Her raven was not giving her an immediate report and it annoyed her.

"The ceremony was for the human called Stefan."

She snapped back towards him. "What?" Was he that celebrated for his betrayal? Or was he… no, that was impossible. But Diaval confirmed her dark thoughts.

"He has been crowned and pledged in as the new king and as successor to king Henry. The ceremony also held his wedding to the late king's daughter, princess –now queen- Leila." He finished, uncertainly awaiting her reaction.

"King?" she asked softly, to no one in particular, a bit shocked, lost and uncertain.

Then she let out a low chuckle that blew into a full blown laugh. Diaval wasn't certain it was a good idea to laugh along. You don't laugh along with someone's if said laugh sends you shivers down your spine. He didn't know the entire context, but he didn't expect her to be _happy_ about it.

'Perhaps this Stefan had almost screwed up, but he made it alright again and now she's happy with it…' he mused carefully.

"_King?_" she asked again but with icy menace present, like a shard of crystal that was still hard, cold and razor sharp. There was no hint of amusement anymore.

'… Or not.' he finished his thought lamely.

"_KING?_" her sound was rising now, like brewing storm.

"**KING?**" she screamed, her voice striking like a powerful lightning bolt in a heavy thunderstorm.

Every façade that she had held had been swept away now. She wasn't angry, for calling her angry was like calling the ocean a small pool. She was livid. Furious. Seething.

"**HE DID THIS TO BE KING? HE DID THIS TO ME FOR A FANCY CROWN AND AN ORNATE THRONE?**"

There was no stopping her now. Diaval cowered a bit away from her, and really, really, really wanted to be changed back to a raven in order to retreat to a safer distance. The other side of the country was beginning to look nice too… Seriously, could whatever it was this Stefan had done not have been done properly so he wouldn't have to deal with this sh-

"**HE DID THIS FOR POWER? I WILL SHOW HIM TRUE POWER! I WILL MAKE HIM BEG AND SUFFER AND WISH THAT IN HIS DARKEST DREAMS HE HAD NEVER TAKEN THAT CURSED CROWN!"**

Her rage had reached such a turmoil in herself that her magic burst out in an enormous spiral of poisonous green fire towards the sky. The magic was so intense it seemed to draw everything towards it, including light wrapping the surrounding land in darkness. The light was so bright it seemed to burn, yet managed to hold so much dark as well, as if it had taken all light in the world leaving no light left anymore.

The violent burst produced a high-pitched shriek that could turned anyone's head to pain. The ground shook as if it would burst open. The dark clouds packed together and began to rumble in the storm the lands would quake beneath.

"I will show him what a true ruler is." She finished with a hiss.

With that she strode forward to a smaller nearby island and with her approaching presence the great tree gnarled and twisted and grew into a complex network of branches, forming a large and complex throne.

He had wanted a queen? Well, than she would be a queen. A queen he wished he would never have crossed. She was barely aware of the squeals of the small pixies, wallerbogs and nymphs nearby. She sat herself down on her newly found throne and looked as poised and regal as she looked threatening and intimidating. She was a presence of might, radiating with pure unaltered power in such sheer volumes it couldn't be measured.

The treants, the warriors of the Moors were as loyal as ever to her and seemed to inspire the same loyalty from all others present with their threatening presence.

The loyal raven who had been transformed back in his original form cawed and landed next to her arm. A lightning bolt shook everything as it illuminated the pale face of the new dark queen.

* * *

_OC and Stefan material! And Maleficent has definitely gone dark now. Dark things will be dark. Face it, Maleficent IS dark for quite some time, and that goes beyond creative insulting. She's actually going to do some bad-ass stuff. Stuff that is seriously morally questionable. And Evan has a cute dog! Diaval and Fergus are going to get along great! *cough*sarcasm*cough*_

_Posted a bit later than planned but I have worked out a great deal more about Stefan's and Maleficent's past that will be revealed later in the story. Big reveals that might explain a lot of their respective behaviours. _

_Silva means woods or forest in Latin and Vetus means old. Silvaetus is a combination that would be "Old Forest." Vallis simply means valley. Very original, I know. Evan means young warrior in old Gaelic and Fergus means something among the lines of loyal one. So, a bit fitting, is all._

_Thank you once again for reading, and please leave a review! I appreciate them greatly, each and every one of 'em. _


	4. Chpt 4 - A Party of Murder and Mayhem

_Maleficent and all its content belongs to Disney. References and other mentioned names, products, brands and all other licenses belong to their respective owners. I only own my OC's and storyline. This story is purely written for entertainment and hobby purposes. English is not my native language.  
Thank you for giving this read a chance, and I hope you'll enjoy reading this. _

_Summary : When Stefan takes her wings, Maleficent vows her revenge on all things human. When she wanders alone and wounded she encounters another victim of his betrayal. The only problem : this victim is human and he decides to stick around. A human who is so tempting to take, to kill, to destroy… But to betray? Never. AU; eventual Maleficent/OC_

_Mainly follows Maleficent, but from third person perspective. I prefer to write in that. _

_**A.N./: **__should the rating be moved up towards M? some of the things in this chapter are quite graphical and disturbing. I try not to let language go too far and leave most of the dark parts open for interpretation but I'd like your advice on this.__** Warning, a bit gore at the end and mentions of other foul things in the language. **_

* * *

**Hominis Proditam. **

_The treants, the warriors of the Moors were as loyal as ever to her and seemed to inspire the same loyalty from all others present with their threatening presence._

_The loyal raven who had been transformed back in his original form cawed and landed next to her arm. A lightning bolt shook everything as it illuminated the pale face of the new dark queen._

**Chapter 4 : A Party of Murder and Mayhem.**

* * *

It was a few weeks later on a foggy morning that Diaval came flying in to Maleficent in a very distressed state.

"Mistress! Mistress! There are humans on the border busy making their way in the Moors!"

That brought Maleficent out of any slumber, her mind snapping to a highly attentive – and temperamental state.

"How many are they, are they soldiers of the kingdom and what are their intentions?" she fired off towards her servant who needed a moment to think it over.

"Only one man, and no soldier I think. He looks average but is armed. And he has a _monster_ with him!" the last part really distressed him.

"What kind of monster?"

"It's huge! It's even bigger than the one you chased away when you saved me mistress! It's incredibly hairy, and stinky, its mouth filled with long teeth, its eyes both stupid and hellish and its tongue is slobbering its way across everything! I've no doubt that anything his disgusting drool touches will wither and shrivel and die and-

"Diaval. I do believe that you're describing a dog." She said drily.

"A dog! All dogs are monsters! It's a simple fact of nature and life! Those stinky mangy mutts exist only to torment other poor creatures!"

"Diaval" Maleficent said annoyed but it went unnoticed as her servant continued in his rant.

"It ruffles my feathers just to think about the very fact that they exist at all! My black feathers would lose their shine simply from being in their accursed presence! Everything in their aura is cursed to dull and be drenched in their poisonous drool, their stinky breath and smelly odour pollute all surroundings and don't even get me started on their need to pee against every tree they encounter, or sh-

"Oh shut up, you blasted bird!" she snapped, her temper flaring up.

Diaval might have a fierce hatred against all canines, but Maleficent's glare made him gulp and shrink. He wasn't _that_ stupid.

Meanwhile, the dark queen seemed to think things over. Suddenly, something came to her mind.

"What did the man look like?" she asked.

"Um, he seemed young, blond hair and carried a bow. Green and grey clothes mainly."

"And did his dog look more like a wolf than a simple dog? And don't you dare to start a rant again!" she broke him off when he opened his mouth.

"Yes, the disgusting hairy beast look like a wolf." He confirmed.

Maleficent made no further comment and simply took off towards the border. She had, shortly after taking her throne created an enormous wall of thick thorns and spikes. It should be near impenetrable for any human or even animal. The magic embedded should keep them off too.

But of course Evan, the most annoying and infuriating human being in the world had to try to make his way through it and cause her trouble. Was he actively trying to get murdered by her or something? Any sane human would have understood by now that if she could slaughter seventeen armed and trained humans in an incredibly weakened state she would not have any qualms about killing them in the height of her power. Except him of course. He wasn't stupid. He was crazy.

A bit later she found the person she was looking for. He was however not inside the Moors as she'd expected by now. He sat calmly against a tree, ruffling the fur on his Fergus' head who seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

"Hello again, Maleficent" he greeted her as if it was the normal way of things. She didn't return the greeting.

"Why are you bothering me again, pesky human?"

He let out a laugh. "Wow! Straight to the point aren't you?"

"I have no time or value for idle chitchat. Now, why are you trying to invade the borders of my lands?" she snapped back.

"I wasn't. I merely needed to grab your attention. Do you really think that I would go and trap myself in a forest of spiky points and ends? You could impale me from hundreds of positions with a flick of your wrist. No thank you, I like my body the way it is currently."

"Then why did you feel the need to grab my attention, brat?" By the ancients, why did she have to drag everything out of him? Why couldn't he just say what he had to say short and simple without her needing to ask every blasted question again to steer the conversation? It was almost as if he did it on purpose to annoy her.

"Why, because I longed to see you again! I do so like annoying you." As if it was obvious.

"Yes, and you're doing a magnificent job at that, you loathsome brat." She hissed out though her teeth.

"There is another reason though" he brought out, the funny look on his face gone now. "There is a battalion of soldiers from the king coming this way. Soldiers that have had a party on our border in a Silvan village. A party that ended with them murdering most of the villagers and burning it down. They also have taken a group of fifteen to twenty people captive."

She cocked her head sideways. "And why should I bother to interfere with the humans their business? Why should I not leave them to their pitiful ways?"

"Supposedly the village was plotting against the kingdom by breaking their trading agreement, which is ridiculous. It's Silvan territory and thus not their business and those villagers were mainly farmers who have better things to do than plotting against a strange country or breaking trading contracts. They're going to camp two nights on the border of the Moors. I intend to free those people but I cannot do so on my own. You could do as you please to them to satisfy your urge to destroy some humans and I would use that opportunity to free my kin."

"So that king has attacked the village for no reason better than a lousy trade excuse?"

"That seems to be the word around, but I don't understand that part fully. It seems a way too blatant attack and why we are not particularly close to the kingdom in term of friendliness, there's way too much trade for both to suddenly interrupt them. My best guess would be semi-deserters or bandits wearing soldier garb. Most people in this kingdom are not particularly fond of my kin. Either that, or a very brutal lord in the court has ordered this." He reasoned.

'a decent reasoning. This isn't a move _he_ would quickly commit. It is too open and blatant, he is too cowardly for that.' She mulled in her thoughts.  
"Why are they prisoners? What purpose has been intended for them, and what have they done?"

"For what purpose, I don't know. But it can't be good. Especially since most of them are young girls or children. So ransom in the best of cases." He said. This time he didn't hide his slightly scared face. He preferred not to think about such a possible fate for them.

Maleficent scowled in disgust. "And then they dare to call me the evil one…" she muttered. "Still, it only proves the sick nature of your kind. I still see no reason to interfere. 'Tis not my problem."

Now Evan was starting to look a bit desperate. "But I need your help in this! Are you that uncaring that it doesn't matter that those brutes are going to assault and possibly rape those girls? And what afterwards? Selling them to the highest bidder? Keeping them in the dungeon as toys? Do you not care that with one flare of magic you could help them avoid such a fate? These are innocent girls we are speaking of, younger than I am! Children still!" he pleaded.

The queen faery seemed to hesitate but showed no outward emotion. Her face was unreadable. "I still don't see how that is my problem. It doesn't happen on my lands and to the folk under my protection. I bear no love for humans at all. I hate them. While I will destroy them should they be so foolish as to enter the Moors, I do not concern myself with what happens outside of the Moors."

With those words she turned around and walked back into the magical territory.

"Wait! What about the debt?" she heard a frantic voice call after her. She turned around with a blank face and a cold look in her eyes.

"What debt?" she asked lowly, as if warning him to not voice it further. He didn't heed it.

"The one you owe me! I saved your life. Help me in this, help me save their lives and I call that debt forfeit and fulfilled. Or at least, you have to save my life in return to get rid of the debt, no? If I die during this, you can never redeem it."

"Debt? Oh you measly worm, do you think I care about your imagined debt? I am under no obligation whatsoever to help you in this or to protect your life. What do you think I am, some fairy godmother? A guardian angel? Wake up boy. I acknowledge that I owe you because I haven't killed you yet, even if you do your utmost best to motivate me to it. And if you should die than at least I would no longer owe you or be annoyed by your childish shenanigans." She answered with a sneer.

Even stood there, dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say anymore. He had reckoned on at least a bit of her help, perhaps indirectly. But it was clear that she was as cold as the impression she had given him. It wasn't just an act. It was her true self. His hopes were quite brutally shattered. How could someone care so little? He didn't understand.

"And one more thing, brat. Should I come with you now, and should I save your life I have no reason anymore to show you mercy. And I would do what I have wanted to do ever since I heard you speak : I would destroy you. And I would slaughter the soldiers, because I hate those pathetic men. And the screams would probably annoy me so much that I would kill the other humans there too. In short, every human would die, including you. So you're better off on you own, really. Hopefully I won't see you again, brat."

And with that she left, uncaring that the seventeen years old boy was left to fend for his own for a hopeless task.

Evan watched her disappear again in the thick wall of cruel thorns and pikes. He was at a loss. He could act as an adult but he was still seventeen only. And his seventeen old self simply couldn't comprehend how someone was capable of not doing anything. She almost seemed to _wish_ cruel fates upon others. How? How could you do that?

Oh, he understood what it was to hate someone. There was a fair share of people he didn't wish a happy fate too. But she clearly had never met these people, they had done her no wrong. How could you want innocents to suffer, be they human or any creature really?

The insults he had expected. Frankly, he was amazed at the amount of insults she could so easily invent for him. It was clearly in her nature that she didn't like him and that she was very proud. Him helping her didn't exactly help that. But not having a nice personality was just that. This judgement… this was bad. Like, really bad. Perhaps she was lazy? Or egoistical or selfcentered that she didn't want to help? No, that wasn't it. It was more like she hated everyone for being human. But that was ridiculous of course. You couldn't hate someone just for being human. Then you would only spend your life in hate misery.

But he was quite hopeless now. He frankly didn't know what to do. He had counted that she would be eager to get rid of the debt and everything would be fine afterwards. He couldn't do nothing. But on his own he couldn't do much. He wasn't strong enough. He was very good with a bow, yes. Always had been. Father had thought him that since he was a child. But he could barely fight with a sword. The soldiers would cut him down very quick and he'd have to run again.

He stared at the wall again. It was hopeless, wasn't it? It wasn't like those soldiers would throw themselves on those sharp ends and he wa-

He stopped his train of thoughts and smiled. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance of everything working out. He couldn't do this without the tall faery. She didn't want to. But he was not planning on giving the winged woman a choice in this. If she wasn't going to help him willingly then he would just have to find the right motivation. Now all he had to was find the right path and opening.

Oh, and not getting killed by swords or magic. That too.

* * *

Five hours later it was getting dark and the shadows grew as the sun began to disappear behind the hills. A squirrel family was quickly gathering the nest again and preparing for the night in their tree-hollow. When a loud ruckus made itself known, they quickly scurried together and fled back in the small safety of their home.

The ruckus was made by stomping boots, loud shouts and curses and the sound of chains and cries. A group of large men, at least twenty strong were clad heavily in armour and armed to the teeth. The other fifteen however were the very opposite. Chained or tied together, small and dressed in torn rags. Fifteen children, aged between ten and eighteen they were. Eleven girls, four boys. The boys were mainly the younger ones.

"Right e'ryone! We'r gonna camp 'ere fo' the night. Tie 'em whiners to a tree an' ge' a fire going, an' you two go an' take a look 'round! We don' wonna 'ave a gutter nearby when we'r sleeping. Ain't very far to the blast'd Moors, this place is." said the apparent leader in his strong accent. His men obeyed a bit grumbling and followed their orders, to satisfied they could rest and eat now.

An hour later the men sat roaring and laughing around a fire, drinking and eating. The children sat a bit quivering on the side, tied to some of the mighty trees. One of the men got up and threw mockingly something that was supposed to be soup in their faces.

"Eat up, pipsqueaks! Delicious, ain't it! Wouldn't want you to go hungry, would we!" he laughed and the rest roared crudely with him. No one was paying a lot of attention to their surroundings, and close to the fire and light, it made it a lot more difficult to see anything in the dark. That's why no one saw a figure moving carefully between the trees

Evan knew this would be very difficult to pull off. Right now, they were all tied up right in their sight. He wouldn't have a chance. So, they needed to be preoccupied. And he planned on throwing a bit of chaos around. Hopefully it would do the job and distract them enough to do it all. If all else failed he did have a backup plan but that one was even far more dangerous for all sides involved, so not exactly his first choice. With a little sigh he started to move.

* * *

Aline was scared. She had never been so scared as she was now. Only a few days ago, everything was as it should be. Dad and mom held open the tavern and she, being seventeen, helped and worked there. She knew she was considered pretty with her slender figure. The usual crowd complimented her often enough on it but she tried not to let such things go to her head. Most of the boys and men who gave them were scared of her big dad anyway.

But now, all was wrong, wasn't it? They were still tied painfully to these hard trees, they were hungry, thirsty and tired. Some were in pain too. The little ones were easiest off. They couldn't keep up easily and were exhausted but were not really hurt. Although that was mainly because some of the older like her were focused instead.

She shuddered by the thought of their rude comments and lusty stares. She was old enough to understand what some of these men were no doubt thinking of doing and hoped that they were instructed not to stoop to such levels at least. So far they hadn't gone beyond some foul touching and desperately prayed that they wouldn't go further.

Aline looked to the side again. Her little sister, Isabelle was whimpering in her drowsy state, too tired to stay aware but too frightened to really sleep. She had to stay alright, it was her duty as the older sister to protect her. She would have to stay strong for her. Ultimately she tried to follow the conversations of the men. It wasn't as if there was anything else to occupy her mind. Escaping was impossible. With some difficulty, she managed to understand it through their strong accents.

"So, did all o' you 'ear 'bout that new criminal the king 's been chasing?" asked one to the group.

"What criminal? It's not like there's only one of 'em" they responded with jeers.

"Aye, but this one 'as the king really unnerved, 'e does. A servant told me the king is 'bout to put bounty on that 'ead o' his. A bounty o' a _thousand _pieces o' gold mates. That's a rather large reward for 'just' a criminal, innit?" he continued smugly.

Now he had their complete attention. "A THOUSAND pieces of gold? By Jove, what did that blighter do?" one asked.

"Image what we could do with a _thousand_ gold pieces ey…" it sounded elsewhere.

"I dunno what 'e 'as all done, but I know _some_ things, I do." The speaker said carefully.

"Well, come one then, spit it out, tell us!"

"o'right. Apparently, 'e comes from Silva too. We dunno much, but it's said that 'e's sworn to kill the king and destroy the kingdom."

"Who issie then? Explain clearly." the captain came in. Even he couldn't hide the gleam in his eyes.

"'E 'as many names, 'e does. Demon, kingslayer, cursed one, the list goes on. Many say 'e's completely 'round the bend. Gone insane. Some say e' was always a criminal, and a ruddy brutal one. Until good king Stefan stopped that gang of 'is. And now 'e wants 'is bloody revenge."

"But others say e's insane due to a tragedy. Some say 'e's a man whose wife was murdered. On their wedding night, no less. And that 'is children were cursed and that 'e 'ad to slay them himself. Or that 'e was cursed too."

Now the men began to look somewhat disturbed. A bloody criminal was simple. An insane cursed man another thing entirely. But the speaker went on.

"Others again that 'e was an experiment for the perfect soldier. Raised without emotions. That 'e feels nothing when 'e kills, and that killing is all 'e knows. And now king Stefan tried to stop him from killing, so 'e turned 'is sights on 'im. Most seem convinced that it's all a dirty Silvanian plot, it is."

More murmurs arose with this new information. Accusation towards the Silvan people seemed to be the most popular. That didn't sit well with Aline. She was of Silvan birth and descent, and these men were clearly prejudiced against her country for some reason.

"Either way, 'is name is _Agdar._"

"I've 'eard of tha' buggah! Was the talk of the tav'rn, it was! Says 'e moves like shadows, killing where 'e goes and leaving no survivors… ever" another added.

"AWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" it suddenly sounded, like a harrowing cry through the darkness.

"Was that a wolf?"

"Bloody hell, ye never told us that there be wolves here govna'!"

"R'lax e'rybody! A couple o' wolves can't do us shit." The leader commanded his group and the tumult decreased, but after the discussion of the 'Agdar' and the presence of wolves no one felt very comfortable.

Suddenly some disgusting vomiting sounds were produced followed by affronted shouts. "Oy, who made this crap? It's even fouler than my mother's armpits! It's disgusting!"

"Watch what ye'r saying ya big lump!" the "cook" responded warningly. "Ye just don't have taste fo' the finer quisine."

"No, he's right, never eaten something so foul, I'm starting to feel sick by the taste alone!" another joined in. The first one was already vomiting by now.

With that an uproar began in the camp. Aline counted her lucky stars and hoped that the ruckus would keep them distracted for a long time and give them some reprieve. But then she saw something very strange. At first she thought it was a mere flickering of the play of the light and shadows, but the second time she was sure. Someone was sneaking around the edges of camp and causing the current chaos. After some hesitation, he clearly threw something straight into their big pot of… well, whatever that "food" was supposed to be. Whoever it was, she was hopeful that it was part of a plan of freeing them. But she wouldn't dare trying to catch his attention. If those bastards caught on he would be hurt as well, as would they. So she did the only thing she could.  
She watched. And prayed.

Chaos was by now running rampant in the camp. For unexplainable reasons things were running rampant and soon all the men were fighting and shouting against the others.

"Wa didya do with my money, ey, ya big lump!"

"I didn't do anything you idiot! You must have misplaced it!"

"Oh, I misplaced it accidentally in ye pockets, did I? Sounds like bollocks to me, ye know!"

"Why does the soup taste so foul? Did you all want to poison us, Tommie?"

"I didn't do anything wrong with my soup! Someone of you lot must have dropped something foul innit you blighters!"

"Oh, so ye can't cook and now ye blame us ey? After our money were ye? Lads, I think 'e needs to be taught a lesson!"

"E'RYBODY CALM DOWN, YOU FILTHY SHITS!" the leader tried to desperately gain hand again. It was a lost cause and the ire of his men was now turned against him.

"Ye shounot be speakin' govna'! Ye keep denying us a go with them missusses over there!"

"Yea, there are plenty of young girls over there, and you don't let us have some little fun with them!"

"'Cause they'd be a hell of a lot less worth then! Use yer brain, ye maggot!"

"Ye say tha', but I ye yerself have already had a go, didntya? Yer just denying us 'cause yer higher in rang!"

The argument went on and on and on and began to get more and more violent. When the fire got unstable and burst bigger and a lot of their clothes and sleeping gear caught on fire, the fight got more heated than ever, and knives began to be pulled. Men burned by the fire were screaming and men sick by the food were wailing. The ruckus was so very loud, a hundred cats and dogs skinned alive was nothing in comparison. But Aline managed to make out a single harsh whisper. Especially because it was a whisper in Silvan language.

"Don't react to my voice, make no sound or sign that you are hearing me. Listen closely because the chances of getting you all out of here are small and we must move fast and careful. I've already cut most of the ropes from behind the trees and hung them loosely back so they appear intact. There's a small knife near your feet. Take it and cut the remaining two general ropes loose. Whisper what's going on to the others. Then, one by one we will have to slip away before the wrong crowd notices. Got it? Just nod if you got all that."

She nodded and grasped the knife with her feet after some feeble attempts. Cutting the ropes proved to be though, but manageable. She then quickly whispered to the others what was going on and slowly, one by one they began to shuffle away, slowly stepping backwards between the dark trees. Where to now? She didn't know the land here. Heavens, she had never been outside her village or some neighbouring ones, let alone another kingdom. She and the others now stood only a thirty, forty feet away from their captives but had no idea where to go to and clearly the others had no clue either.

"What do we do now? Where do we go to?" some whispered "Let's just get away from here, then we see further said an older girl who was trying to keep herself together. Just when they decided just to make a run for it another soft voice stopped them.

"Wait, I can help but please be quiet!" The only reason everyone did that was obviously because it was in their own language. The only form of trust they would get here. Aline looked at their "friend" now with the little light that was present. Blonde hair, tall and around her own age, she guessed. One of his cheeks had distinctive and ugly burn wounds on them. She winced at the sight of that. It had to be hard to be so young and already disfigured. Otherwise, he would have been quite handsome but no one would just ignore those scars.

At his side was a large dog or a wolf. She supposed that had been the howling earlier. He didn't look very threatening with his tongue happily out of his mouth. More importantly, he had two big loaded horses with him.

"Listen, you can get all out of here, but it'll be difficult. Put the youngest ones who are too tired on the two horses and get out of here as quiet and as fast as you can. Go straight in that direction," he pointed to their right, "and keep going like that, straight through the forest. It should not be too obstructive for you all. Keep going like that for a few hours and change the riders to those who need rest the most, as long as you keep moving. Use the moon as an orientation point, and the northern star too.  
When you've done that you should come close to the border of the forest. Rest there till sunrise. Then, when the sun rises, go to the east until you see a giant border of thorns, almost a wall. That's the border of the Moors. Few humans go there. Follow that then and you should cross the Silvan border at the end of the day. Then it's up to you, but you should find a way home then.

The horses are from these dear men, and the others are loose so they can't chase after you quickly. Don't put up a torch for the first hour or it'll give away you position, and even then only when you're blind otherwise. There's a bit of dry food and two water sacks to last you a single day, but no more. I'll do my best to keep them busy and grant you some time. I'll.. I'll try to lead them away, towards this side of the Moors. You're taking a longer way around, but that is safer or you'll risk running into patrols or others. Oh, and don't attempt to cross the borders of the Moors." He finished hastily.

"Thank you, thank you so much" Aline gushed with a few tears. "What is your name? you can come and visit us later! I'm sure mom and dad would want to thank you too!"

A rue smile. "My name is Evan. And this is Fergus. But I'm not sure when o if I can ever come back to our homeland. I'm stuck here for a while."

Aline wanted to say more but her heart clenched when she heard a loud shout that turned her blood to ice.

"OY, THE PRISONERS ARE ESCAPING! THEY'VE CUT 'EMSELVES LOOSE, THE RATS!"

"They know you're gone, hurry now! Run! Run and don't look back, run as fast as you can and as I told you! I'll hold them busy." He hissed. She didn't need to be told twice. The youngest ones including her little Isabelle were already on the horses and the others started running as she joined in.

"Aline? I'm cold and tired." She heard her sister whimper. "Hush now Isabelle, we're getting out of here, hang on for now." She quickly whispered, trying to keep everyone running. She looked one last time behind to see that Evan had knocked an arrow and was aiming towards the camp. She tried to ignore it and the coming shouts, but couldn't help but wince when she heard blood curling scream, confirming that Evan's arrow had hit. She shook it off, hoped he would escape safely too and ran away, into the dark eerie night.

* * *

Maleficent was pacing. The little annoying brat on her mind. Why was he even on her mind? He was just a stupid boy, thinking he was already a man. An idealistic naïve fool. A filthy, traitorous _human_. She had particularly enjoyed that abashed look on his face. He had expected her to comply with his demands, that she would simply aid him like that. Saying "No" had been so satisfying. So why was there this lingering of doubt within her?

Oh, a vague part of her knew it was cruel what she had done. To let those little girls, even children to such a fate. She could easily have tricked those men away and blasted them to smithereens. It would have been fun actually. Perhaps that was it? That she had let go such a good opportunity of doing a little strike against that little king of theirs by blasting a battalion into bits? Or was it the fact that she knew those little humans would have a grave fate and that she did nothing to change that?

She kept mulling over it in her mental debate, her main thoughts being that children or not, they were still humans. And human affairs were not her business or concern. Her only responsibility was fully towards the Moors, and the kingdom had placed itself an enemy of her lands.

What confused her even more was why she was not enjoying that heartbroken look on Evan's face more. In fact, it didn't sit completely well with her and it put her for a mystery. He was annoying, naïve, arrogant and either very stupid or crazy. He was young and unexperienced and already was demanding things. Wasn't he? No, he wasn't really. He had not asked her help for his sake, bur for those others because he acknowledged that he himself could not do it on his own.

So that was it then perhaps. That he was still a young person, inexperienced by the cruelty of the world, much like she was at that age. And that he was trying to save others, to do a brave and right but stupid thing and that she cut him off ruthlessly. He was of course not going to give up so easily. He would try on his own and such a thing would most likely result in his death. Was that it? Had she sent him off to a way too early grave so she could have the meagre pleasure of insulting a boy who had saved her life and made a few jokes because he didn't know any better? When she thought about it that way, she didn't feel satisfied at all. It didn't feel _bad_ per se, he was only human after all, but she knew something about it gnawed at her – and she didn't like it at all.

She was mused out of her inner turmoil by the shrill and hasty cawing of Diaval. He proved to be an excellent servant and information source. At least, on information that his birdbrain could comprehend. Politics were not his forte, to name a thing.

"Mistress, a large group of soldiers is trying to make their way in the Moors! They're crossing the barrier as we speak and hacking their way through a thinner point!"

Now that was disturbing. "How long 'till they break through?"

"Not long. They'll be in by the time we get there." Disturbing indeed.

"Well, then let's go and welcome them, shall we?" she said with a rising smile. The kind of sinister smile that showed all her white sharp teeth and would give people nightmares, that is. With that she marched upwards the act as the welcome committee.

Diaval gulped when he followed her. He had a vague idea what kind of welcome they would be getting. He just hoped he would have something to shield him from the blood splatters.

"Tom, we told ye already, 'e went to the right 'ere!"

"Inside more thorns? Oh use yer brain, ye overgrown maggot! 'E's obviously inside! And we're gon'a make 'im pay!"

"Well, well, what have we here?" a calm voice asked. Too calm.

Tom and the others looked aside. Right there suddenly stood a lady. A tall, beautiful, pale lady with some stick, long robes and-

"by jove, are those horns?"

"What are ye? What ye be doing 'round these parts, eh?" 'Tom' asked suspiciously. That wasn't just any lady. That was a scary lady. Not that he'd ever admit being scared by a lady.

"'Tis no concern of you. In fact, since these are _my_ lands, I should be asking you those questions. Now, start explaining. Why are you intruding here?" It was a voice that couldn't help but sound commanding.

"Some foul Silvanian rat 'as let loose our slaves and stolen horses and shot us when we wanted 'em back and to teach 'em a lesson to make 'em squeal!" an overenthusiastic henchman shouted out.

The leader could only facepalm himself. Really, how stupid could they be…

"Is that so? But it still doesn't explain why you came on my land." Her voice now interested, carefully coated in malice.

"'E came in 'ere on these blasted swamps, we followed 'im in, 'cause we gonna kill 'im!"

"Oh dear, I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"Whadeyya mean, freak?"

"Because that person is reserved to be _my_ kill, as he is on _my _lands. Also, humans have to pay a toll for entering my lands." She said with a predatory grin.

"A toll?" the leader asked suspiciously.

"Yes, a toll." She repeated happily as if he were a small child who said his first words.

"And waddis dis… toll? Wha do we got'a pay?"

"Oh, it's nothing complicated. You must entertain me." She exclaimed, showing even more of her brilliant smile. She had her entertainment right there, and playing with them was proving to be very entertaining indeed.

"How do we "entertain" you then?" they asked.

'really, you would think one had the brains to at least ask what it is I'm doing rather than following blindingly following a request of a complete stranger.' She thought. But she responded in the same nice tone "Oh, 'tis nothing much. I want you all to attack me."

"Attack you?" they repeated dumbly. This was a very strange lady. Most ladies they mugged wanted them _not_ to attack them…

"Yes, attack me, you blithering sycophantic fools. Amuse me, give me a game!" she snapped a bit. Honestly, they were so dim-witted it was no longer funny. They didn't even attack her. And them attacking her first was the plan after all. Otherwise it would be far less amusing.

"Oh, I know a game! It's called Hide-'n-seek, it is, and you play it by-" "shut up, Tom, let's mug her!" the leader snapped him off before raising his mace and storming towards the dark faery.

"Finally, som'thing to smash!" he grunted.

Maleficent in her turn looked very unconcerned. She merely noted as the brute ran to her before being brutally crushed between two tree trunks that twisted and creaked around him. She counted out loud when he was screaming and very disturbing sounds came forth.

"Hmm, I counted seventeen broken bones, not including you spine. Is that correct?" she asked the man curiously who could only produce a pool of blood that streamed out of his mouth. He obviously was no longer with the living.

"Oh, well, than not." She continued with a disappointed pout. Then she cocked her head sideways and observed the remaining scared men, to terrified and rooted to the spot in fear to do anything but stare in horror.

"Well, I told you I required a game." She said with a cruel grin, baring her teeth once more. "And a game I shall have. 'T shall prove to be a most entertaining one." She went on, the promise of pain and malice, dripping from her voice. In her hands the men saw her gather what looked like magic and green fire. There was nothing calm about the green. The green seemed the demonic green of poison.  
The green of hellish death.

High above them, a crow was trying to shut out the screams beneath him as his mistress was having her "fun". She could just as easily have killed them in a jiffy, but she needed some dramatics. She enjoyed toying with her prey like a cat with a mouse. Especially when that mouse still tried to escape, not realising it had been caught long ago.

Further away, a figure of a young blonde man with a scarred face and a running wolfhound hastily took their retreat, eager to get out of here.

* * *

_More OC material! And Maleficent has definitely gone dark now. Dark things will be dark. _

_For the record. The region Evan is from is named Silva, the people are Silvans and the adjective is Silvan, as in "the Silvan border". However, in the kingdom, it is usually reffered to as "Silvanian", to the more complex old name. You could say Silva/Silvan are simplified forms used by the people who actually live there. To avoid confusion as to the different terms. _

_Thank you once again for reading, and please leave a review! I appreciate them greatly, each and every one of 'em. _

_Also guys, extra message here. Unless I can poop out another chapter real quick you'll have to wait quite a while for the next one. I'm still working crazy the coming week and then I'm off to Mexico (which is like, the other side of the world for me considering I live in Belgium) for four weeks, visiting my oldest friend and travelling around the country. Can't wait to climb the volcanoes and to see the ancient Aztec/Maya temples! Peru was awesome in the past, this time it's just me and friends I'll be gone till the end of July, I guess.  
_

_PS: Proud to be a Belgian here. I'm a bit footballcrazy (or soccer for the USA'ers) and currently entire Belgium goes collectively crazy because we've been placed for the last 16 in the World Cup when we didn't even qualify the past twelve years! I swear, it's madness here. But it's the good kind of madness. never seen so many flags and never seen my country so united! To feel the fever of the mad crowd at the winning goal in the last minutes is indescribable. It is truly a wonderful thing how one sport can unite so many people over the whole world. If only the FIFA started being decent, that'd be nice too. _


	5. Chpt 5 - Evan and Agdar

_Maleficent and all its content belongs to Disney. References and other mentioned names, products, brands and all other licenses belong to their respective owners. I only own my OC's and storyline. This story is purely written for entertainment and hobby purposes. English is not my native language.  
Thank you for giving this read a chance, and I hope you'll enjoy reading this. _

_Summary : When Stefan takes her wings, Maleficent vows her revenge on all things human. When she wanders alone and wounded she encounters another victim of his betrayal. The only problem : this victim is human and he decides to stick around. A human who is so tempting to take, to kill, to destroy… But to betray? Never. AU; eventual Maleficent/OC_

_Warning : mentions of violence, strong language_

* * *

**Hominis Proditam.**

High above them, a crow was trying to shut out the screams beneath him as his mistress was having her "fun". She could just as easily have killed them in a jiffy, but she needed some dramatics. She enjoyed toying with her prey like a cat with a mouse. Especially when that mouse still tried to escape, not realising it had been caught long ago.

Further away, a figure of a young blonde man with a scarred face and a running wolfhound hastily took their retreat, eager to get out of here.

**Chapter 5 : Evan and Agdar.**

* * *

It was late in a cloudy afternoon when a black bird dove down and glided over the misty banks towards a hill. And on top of the hill, twisted and grand stood a structure that could be shaped as a tall throne, sharp and foreboding. Whichever ruler chose such a throne was skilled in the art of intimidation, and the dark faery, the most powerful of all the lines of the fae had mastered it. The bird planned to land carefully on the right armrest but before he reached it a flick and burst of golden light changed him to his man-shape. The reigning figure barely moved, but her powerful and cold gaze was suddenly turned on him. A command resounded in the silence.

"Report."

"_Caw, caw, cach_\- could you please not rob me of my wings _before_ I reach the ground but _after_? It would be much nicer if you waited until I landed safely and _then- "_

"I. said. _report." _

"Errr, yes. Of course my queen. Not much has changed since the last report. Men and women and all other two-leggers at the court are squabbling as always but the common opinion and business seems good and still very fond of their new king…" he brought out carefully and tense afraid of her lashing out but there was no reaction of the sorts.

"Go on."

"Their queen's pregnancy seems to be going along nicely, although there are bad tongues distributing some rumours that chances of a miscarriage are high… apparently that used to run in the family. Bad blood or something. The previous king was the only one out of four who survived". Once more there was no reaction.

"The only thing that remains is the continued voices of this 'Agdar'. That's all."

It was silent for a moment as he waited for his dismissal or next order. He hoped the first. She cocked her head slightly sideways while getting a cunning glint in her eyes.

"Elaborate."

"I mentioned him before. The first time I heard of him was when that horde came from the campfire outside the borders and tried to get in before you had your… _entertainment_." A amused sneer betrayed her stoic form. She found the memory entertaining still. "He comes from outside the kingdom… Vallis, Silva, what was it? That place where the blondie and his monster from hell came from. So, the court thinks of him as a dangerous criminal and the king was all… nervous and twitchy at him being mentioned. As if he was about to lay an egg the size of his head. He has increased the bounty on his head, but what is a bounty and why would he place a one on his head?"

"A bounty is a reward."

"Yes yes yes, I get that. But if he hates him, why give his head a reward?"

"T'is not for his head birdbrain. T'is for the person who _brings_ his head."

"But why would they only want his head and not the re… Oh. I see. That's not nice of them."

She snorted, both amused and annoyed, and sunk in her thoughts and schemes while the bird-man next to her continued blabbering. Seven minutes later he was still going strong.

"… You see, it is the eye-balls that are the delicacy of a corpse. Is that why they want the head? Perhaps they give it as a reward? Is that the bounty? The best part of the meal? Would be an honour of course, getting that from a king. Or do they give a bounty because _they_ want his eye-balls? Seems like a lot of work when there are already so many eyes right there, right mistress? Perhaps his are special? Or do they- Caw! Caw! Cach clergh cacow caw caw! Caw!"

"_Cease your mindless chitters, close your little beak and be silent, or I will melt it shut!"_

He obeyed immediately. He didn't think she would bother melting his beak together though. Turning him into ash with was easier. She dropped back to her thinking pose after her small outburst pondered further, not bothering with the shivering bird next to her.

"I need more information on this… Agdar. He is an unknown player and I dislike dwelling in unknowns." She muttered. Her mind went on but recalled that entertaining memory from earlier once more. The first time Diaval had heard of him was that night where she stomped off the blonde boy. She knew he stayed around her borders often but he was apparently smart enough to stay out of them.

"Come on Diaval, let us see if that brat can be useful for a change."

* * *

"Fergus, don't push it away."

"Wee-wee-whine-whine"

"I'm telling you, making it dirty won't help. I'm watching you, you can't hide those."

"Whine-slobber-woof-woof"

"Fergus, you're a big dog. You. Are. Going. To. Eat. Your. Vegetables."

"Woof-woof-WOOF"

"No, you already had your share of bacon. This is my bacon. Mine. Not yours. Mine"

"Bark-whine-whine-whine-whine"

"You can't do the puppy-eyes thingie. That only works when you're a puppy. Haven't you noticed? You're grown up. You're big. Act like it."

"Bark-bark-woof-woof-slobber-slobber"

"Wait, what did you just call me, you big farting log of wasted space?"

"Slobber-slobber-whine-bark-bark"

"That's it! I'm coming over there! You're going to eat your vegetables one way or another!"

Fergus could not offer more than a surprised yelp when his master suddenly jumped towards him before he himself could avoid and seconds later the two were entangled in one of their seven daily wrestling games, one trying to escape and more or less ran around and the other one being dragged on while trying to push some salad in the first one mouth while protecting his bacon. Sadly, the dog knew his master's tricks mostly and while he was smart and had had the advantage of surprise, the dog managed to wriggle loose, get the bacon and return to slobber all over his masters face. Evan tried to escape, but could only give up when one hundred forty pounds of wolfhound sat on him.

"Sometimes, I really hate you Fergus. No bacon for you next time."

"I knew the dog was more intelligent than you, given that it isn't much of an accomplishment, but even I did not expect it to be so blatantly obvious." A cold voice drawled.

"I'm afraid consulting hours are between nine and five, can you come back tomorrow morning, miss?"

"No."

"Ugh. Fergus, get off me. We've got a visitor."

"Woof."

"What do you mean, no?"

"Bark-woof."

"Tell you what, if you can catch that bird and play nice with him, I shall… rethink about your bacon portion time."

"**BARK!**" and with that, the huge wolfhound jumped up and immediately began chasing Diaval, who could not properly fly up in the forest. Before long the two were completely absorbed in their chasing game were one was giving huge sloppy wet kisses and the other one was busy avoiding them and trying to pecker him with his beak.

"What are you up to this time, Brat?"

"Hello Maleficent, how are you?" '_Humph. Unfailingly polite as always, brat. Doesn't make me dislike you any less.'_

"Absolutely wondrous, until I saw you." She bit, sarcasm overflowing her words. "A bit bored, I admit."

"So you came back here to insult me, given that you enjoy that so much." He deadpanned.

"Evidently I don't have anything better to do."

"You know, I'm really disappointed with you, Maleficent."

"How unfortunate I don't care." She drawled.

"You missed my birthday!" He exclaimed dramatically. "How could you have forgotten my birthday?"

She stood in complete astonishment, her jaw a bit slacked. Even Fergus and Diaval completely forgot about each other and just stared. Then they continued their scuffle with happy barks and indignant caws.

"Why, by the stones, would I care about your birthday?" she asked so astounded that she completely forgot to insult him further.

"Because I wanted to invite you! Fergus and I had a blast -there was even cake- and you missed it!"

"Do you have any cake left then?"

"Well I- wait, you actually want cake?"

"No, I want to see if you suffocate when it gets lodged in your windpipe" She shot venomously.

"Oh. Should've guessed it would be something like that" he mumbled let down. He shrugged it off. "So, care telling me why you're really here? I doubt it's just a social visit – you don't seem the type."

"Quite the observation, brat. Someone from your land is causing quite a bit of uproar among the court according to Diaval. A man named Agdar. What do you know of him?"

"You really should respect my consulting hours, I don't like working overti- alright alright! But Agdar?" he asked a bit surprised. "I might know something. Could you describe him?"

"Apparently he is some dangerous criminal who attempts to incite a revolution and betrayed the crown. He wishes to destroy the kingdom and has vowed to kill the king for revenge on something. And he has blond hair and would be a young human male."

"There are many young men with blond hair in these lands. If half the population of my homeland sports that hair-colour you should specify a bit, you know." he said with a hint of mirth. Then he grew sullen again. "But yes, I think I know of this… 'Agdar', even though your first bit about him is simple hogwash. He is dangerous, yes, but he isn't a wanted criminal back home and I doubt he would care about inciting a revolution in a country that he doesn't want anything to do with. Not to mention, how can he even betray a crown he is no subject too? Silva is no monarchy but is led by a voting council we call the senate, though I don't know the specifics as politics are not my forte."

"That does not matter. Tell me."

"Why? What is Agdar to you?"

"So you know him."

"I know _of_ him. Now, answer please."

"He is an unknown. I do not like unknowns possibly affecting my lands in any shape or form. I need to know if he is a threat."

"I highly doubt he is."

"I shall be the judge of that. Now, tell me."

He pondered for a few moments but resigned with a sigh. "Very well. Take a seat" he said, gesturing vaguely to the ground near the fire. "It's a bit of a story."

Maleficent being who she was, let several branches come out of the ground and twisted them in an elegant throne, clearly above a pesky human. She couldn't resist a smile when she heard him muttering. "show-off." She grinned widely, showing off two rows of brilliant sharp white teeth.

"Why, thank you. I do try. Now, the story?"

"What do you know of the history between the lands of Silva and this kingdom?"

"It is no concern of mine. But from what I gather, a strained peace is kept through trade though the kingdom seems to want more out of it. At least, that is what you told me, apart from the old swine's greed. My main interest would be in the older magical lay-lines that run there, but that is irrelevant."

"That's sort of it, yeah. During his reign, King Henry wanted to know a lot more about the Silvaetus forests so he sent a young servant who wouldn't seem suspicious to gather information. Preferably something that he could use as leverage. It was what – five years ago now?  
Well, all was going well for him with one major thing they overlooked : the young man knew absolutely _nothing_ of the forest. So it was after a few days that he didn't bother to recognise to tracker's signs and wandered way too close to a den of nesting wolves."

Maleficent perked up. This could be amusing. Fergus didn't share the interest though and rolled over and whined until his friend scratched him behind his ears.

"So obviously, it wasn't his best moment. He ran for his life and probably broke several records doing it, but you can't really outrun wolves. So he ran but once more, didn't watch out and fell flat on his face, breaking his nose. It would have been his end, had he not had the extreme luck of attracting hunters of a nearby village. Long story short, the hunters saved his ass and scared the big bad wolves off."

"Pity. I had hoped he would've been eaten alive and torn to little meat-strips, soaking the forest floor with his blood." She pouted, disappointed.

"You might be surprised how many share that opinion with you" he muttered sullen.

"Oh? Do tell."

"It'll become clearer later on. Now, because he was still wounded he was taken back to the village and given treatment for his wounds. But winter was soon to fall and by the time he was better, the mountain paths were blocked with snow and the lower forestlands were simply too dangerous to travel alone and frankly no one could or would escort him back here. So he stayed with a family, the one who was unofficially in charge of it. There were of course the father –an ex-royal guard and senate member- the mother and two children. A boy and a younger girl, Anna. That boy – that was Agdar."

"Now Agdar, I knew him. Not like his close friends or family of course, but well enough. A bit of the arrogant self-righteous sort, but not a bad person per se. The kind that can be rude or naïve without knowing or meaning it, but would never purposefully bully or hurt someone unless to defend his friends of his little group, of which he considered himself the leader. They got in all kinds of trouble and wanted to rid the world of the bad guys. Until he grew up, that meant the bullies in the village were subject to merciless pranking or straight-up fights where he wanted to fight their leader alone. Like I said, self-righteous, pompous and arrogant, but one would be hard pressed to find a truer friend."

"You mean, like yourself?"

"You think of me as a true friend? Maleficent, I'm flattered!"

"Well, without the good parts then" She rectified.

"Oh please, I've seen your definition of 'good'. It included hanging someone to a tree with his own bowels as material for cords."

"Well, what can I say? I enjoy creativity and efficiency."

"Efficiency? Efficiency is hacking off his head and be done with it. But it _is _most creative. Ever thought about doing art?"

She pursed he lips. "A fleeting thought, I admit. But Diaval informed me the local art markets are too narrow-minded to see the beauty of decay."

"Pity."

"I concur. Now, continue the story of your pompous… friend."

"Right. So, the servant stayed with Agdar's family. In the beginning nothing was wrong. But something along the way happened that made Agdar act very uncharacteristically hostile and outright bullying towards the servant. Everybody assumed that it was something the outsider had done because they knew Agdar would not act like this without severe reason. Anna was much nicer and that infuriated him even more. It came to a point where he was quite severely punished by his parents. It did his job because afterwards he was more subdued. Still frosty, but at least civil. By the spring, they almost became friends. Heavens, he even apologised – and meant it too."

"Why the hostility?"

"To put it simple : Agdar thought that this outsider was after his sister. She was eleven, he already an adult. Twenty-something. Early twenties. So naturally he found it all sorts of wrong. Everybody else saw them just being friendly. Overprotective brother act, you might say. But right before he left, he asked the parents whether he could take Anna with him to show her the wonders of his own kingdom. To improve trade relations and a bunch of nonsense. She was eleven, so the answer was a resolute _no_, and he lost their friendliness. They began to suspect their son might've had a point. But it didn't matter, because then he was gone and life went on in its flow of mundane continuality. Their only request to the servant had been that he would not tell any harmful things of the village and its people, which he readily agreed to."

"Tsk. A boring end to a boring story"

"…Not _quite_."

"Oh? Pray tell, what uninteresting business happened still? More paedophilic action?"

"Pedo… -what?"

"Understandable. 'Tis a big word. Never you mind, continue!"

"Well, I'll keep it brief, but the next part is not pretty. Months later an awful lot of soldiers appeared, originating from this kingdom. And on orders of King Henry the fat windbag, they burned it all during the night. At dawn, all had been razed to the ground and the ash was still smoking and so were many bodies in it. Anna, they captured the little girl alive and unspoiled but her mother… they had no such qualms about her. Her husband had already found death when he was unceremoniously shot in the back. When Agdar appeared, they recognized him and because the servant's report viewed him as a bully and a hostile barbarian freak, they had something special for him.

They tied him to a post in his own house, threw the fresh corpses of his parents at his feet, and set the entire thing ablaze. They laughed and roared and jeered while he screamed and begged."

Maleficent wanted to say something but she was interrupted before she could form her undoubtedly scathing remark. Evan wasn't finished yet, because then he spoke in a voice that sounded like pure vitriol :

"_And then the servant who was the key and traitor to it all became __**King Stefan**__." _

Evan shuddered a bit in his tiredness. "So that's how the precious king Stefan and your Agdar are connected. Don't know what he's so afraid of though. Agdar is dead. He died in the fire that night."

"Are you sure of that?" she asked, apparently doubting something.

"I am."

"How did you escape that night?"

"Eh, I only learned about Stefan's betrayal and what all happened later on." He mumbled distracted.

"hmm."

"Could you answer a question of mine in return? Just honest?"

She sighed but for some reason did not use the opportunity to shut him down. "Perhaps. What is it you wish to know?"

"What is _your_ history with… with Stefan?"

She froze, caught off-guard. "There's nothing there brat, keep your nose where it belongs, lest you lose it! So be silent like a good boy."

"He betrayed you too. Didn't he, Maleficent?"

"_**I SAID YOU TO BE SILENT!**_" she roared in words soaked and reinforced with sheer _power_. The air darkened, tensed and cracked while her mere voice shook the trees and blew off their leaves. After the torrent a deafening silence returned. They both remained in silence and let the calm return.

"Why is it there is nothing generally known of that attack? To burn down an entire village and leave none alive… wouldn't that give cause to declare war?"

"I've wondered that myself often too. It's a combination of factors. Both the Silva forest and the dales of Vallis –which are allied as one as you know- don't really have a strong standing military. On their own ground they may have the edge against Old Henry's armies but out here… they would have been crushed. They're good, but fewer in members. There's little constant standing military. Most have other occupations. So they couldn't really afford it, there was probably not enough proof that is was that on Henry's order, let alone the infiltrating servant's information. And an offer of better trading negotiation must have swayed them. But people know. It's a public secret and taboo. Henry's eyes were more fixed on the Moors and you than on us. We had little to offer that he could not have gotten another way. Not as important, in comparison."

"You've actually put some thought in that, brat." She sounded surprised.

"Yes, sometimes I do that. Very uncharacteristically for me. Afterwards I soon return to the 'rasasvada'. The taste of bliss you feel in the absence of all thoughts."

"No wonder you are so happy all the time." She quipped.

"A harmless joke? From you? Purgatory must be freezing over…" he shot back, good natured.

"You are Agdar." No question. Just a statement.

The one she had directed the statement at was silent for a very long time.

Ultimately, he gave a soft, sad nod with his head, barely noticeable.

"I go by Evan these days. Like I said : Agdar is dead. That person died in the fire that night."

"Why are you after_ Him_?"

"That. Is personal."

"Then what is it you are searching for in these lands? There is nothing for you here. I am here because the Moors are my home and lands and I shall protect them. I shall kill _Him_ for my vengeance. But you? Does your lust to shed blood in revenge control you that much?"

"You are hardly one to talk about being controlled by bloodlust, _Maleficent._" He sneered. "I think it is time for you to leave. Bye." And with that he walked in his hut, shutting it tight.

"And for the love of – Fergus! Let the bloody bird go!"

"Bark-Woof!"

"Caw!"

* * *

_I'm sorry for the long wait people. This is not my priority story. Couldn't keep this hidden though._


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